We are fundraising to establish a permanent space in central Manchester. This will consist of at least two rooms: a café-bar and a flexible social space. Progressive political groups and independent cultural groups will be able to use the social space for free, and revenue generated by gigs and the café-bar will subsidise free use of the space.
Partisan can be a collective resource to bring groups together in Manchester. We want to create an accessible, child-friendly space to socialise in, without pressure to purchase food or drink.
We are currently discussing potential spaces with various agents, developers and other communities and creatives and we hope to sign a lease by the end of November, in line with the end of fundraising. The rental costs for our campaign are based on the averages for the potential spaces we have been looking at. If our spend comes in at less than these, we’ll allocate the funds raised to some of the other costs we know we will have for fitting out.

What we'll deliver:

Ensure that the space fully accessible

Establish our permanent space in Manchester

nable grassroots cultural and creative events and practices to take place

Provide a meeting space for social justice and community groups in Manchester

Why it's a great idea:

Manchester is a fast-growing city, and cultural and business opportunities are flourishing.
This growth brings with it so many positives: more jobs in the creative industries, arts and education, new places to go out and a young, dynamic population.
While we enjoy the value that expansion brings and the multitude of arts and entertainment on offer, it inevitably also brings further competition and extra commercial pressure.
This pressure, compounded by the toxic effects of austerity, creates a difficult living and working environment that weighs heavily on the shoulders of all wanting to start something new or pursue work that actually benefits locals.
Since May 2016, Partisan has held temporary residence at 3space Manchester. Over this period more than 20 local community groups, artists, and musicians have used our space for their meetings, exhibitions, and gigs. This engagement shows that there is demand and need for a permanent Partisan space in Manchester.

About the Project Creator

We want to create a space for independent, DIY, cultural and political activities in Manchester.

Our main aim is to try to respond to feelings of exhaustion and disconnection in a context of austerity. Partisan can be a collective resource to bring groups together in Manchester and its central location will make it accessible to as wide a range of people as possible. We want the space to be accessible, child friendly and to be a space to socialize in without the pressure to consume or purchase food or drink.

Local community groups and campaigners (including us) know that there are few suitable places to meet in Manchester and hardly any for free. At Partisan, revenue generated by music events and the café-bar will subsidise the free use of the space.

We want to provide space for free, so that people can channel their energies into political action and organising

We want to provide well-paid, sustainable work for people in the context of declining wages and low pay; the café-bar will (eventually) provide high quality work

Any future ‘profits’ will be directed to creating housing co-operatives, to provide good quality, secure housing in the city.